American Adventure
by The Wishing Well
Summary: As trouble stirs in England, Hermione Granger is sent by her parents to live in Forks, Washington. Her first day at the new school reveals that she isn't as far away from the magical world as she originally thought...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight or Harry Potter  
**A/N: **This is my first cross over, and I don't really know where I'm going to go with it yet which is why I haven't given this story a genre at present time.  
This takes place _before _Bella Swan arrives in town, and I apologise in advance if it gets very OOC for Twilight - I haven't read the Twilight Saga in a while!

**Prologue:**

Being the new girl in town is never easy, but it's made so much worse when you haven't been to a muggle secondary school before. As I watched the trees flash past outside the car window, my stomach was churning with dread and reluctance. I'd been attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for five years. This was supposed to be the start of my sixth year, but after everything that had happened at the Ministry during the end of the summer term, my parents felt that enough was enough and that I must move. And I don't just mean schools. I mean country.

My name is Hermione Jean Granger, and this is my American adventure.


	2. Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home**

The taxi stopped at the end of a drive way in the middle of a road in a small town called Forks in Washington. I grimaced as I got out of the car, carrying the cat carrier, greeted with a drizzle that made my already frizzy hair that much more untameable. Welcome to America, I thought bitterly. The driver got my suitcase out of the boot of the car, I paid him the travel fare and then he was back in his car, doing a U-turn and disappearing back into the horizon. I almost felt like crying. Almost. I was still Hermione Granger and if the events of this year had taught me anything it was that crying rarely solved anything; unless it was part of a plan.

With a sigh, I dragged my suitcase to the porch and rummaged around in my beaded bag for the keys. I swear there was not enough room in this blasted bag, which was incredibly frustrating because despite the small size I still could never find what I was after! Finally, however, the key ring was hooked around my index finger and I produced it triumphantly before unlocking the door, whereupon I crossed the threshold into my new home.

The walls were a plain and boring cream colour, but it was tolerable. I vaguely remembered this house from pictures I'd seen in my mum's old photo albums. She had been here as a child very briefly as she and her parents took a small tour of Washington for a family holiday, which is actually why she had the idea of sending me here. I shut the front door and then let Crookshanks out his cage. He shot off like a racehorse from the starting gates, putting as much distance between himself and the cat carrier as physically possible whilst still within the confines of the house. As there were two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and an open plan kitchen diner and a living room downstairs, the fluffball had plenty of room to roam around in, for a muggle abode. He stuck downstairs for now.

"Don't look at me like that, you know I'd rather be on the Hogwarts Express right now. Actually... I think we'd have already arrived by this point," I said sadly, glancing at the clock and realising England was eight hours ahead.

Now you may be wondering exactly why I'm here without much resistance to my parents. Well, basically it's because they already cleared it with Dumbledore. Behind my back. They insisted that they would rather I took a break from my studies to ensure my safety, and because I was mature and sensible and knew the wizarding law, there would be no chance of me doing something reckless - like using magic. Dumbledore came to visit us, and I really didn't want to upset my parents so I went along with it. I did speak to Dumbledore privately, saying that I wasn't happy with it and that if things didn't work out at a muggle school I would very much like to be able to return to Hogwarts. He agreed, although pointed out that considering this was sixth year I would have to work extremely hard to catch up. So why don't I declare that I'm exceedingly unhappy and go back now? I promised my parents I would stick this normal life out as long as possible. My parents didn't move with me because they couldn't just up and leave, and I also told them that I wanted to do this by myself. I'm nearly 17 and I felt that this would be more rewarding if I could keep out of trouble without someone looking after me 24/7. Besides, I was used to boarding school.

I may sound like some ridiculously good daughter, but bear in mind everything I've done at my time at Hogwarts. First year there was the Philosopher's Stone, second year I was petrified, third year Sirius Black was on the loose (and as far as the world's concerned, he's a serial killer), fourth year it was the Triwizard Tournament and the return of Voldemort, fifth year I went to the Ministry and fought with Deatheaters and very nearly died, along with everyone else there. My parents didn't need to be stressed about me any more, and even if they didn't know absolutely everything that went on at Hogwarts (such as the incident with the troll), I had to live with it. So in a way it was a break for me too. And I'm not a stranger to hard, academic work. Heck, I had to get myself up to muggle GCSE level before I could enrol in this American school. I wasn't wizarding NEWT level yet, but I could get there in a few months if I really set my mind to it.

Carefully climbing the stairs with my suitcase in toe, I found the master bedroom and unpacked my things. I placed my wand carefully on my new bedside table, looking at it mournfully. I'd taken the time to do a little textiles work so that all my jackets, hoodies and whatnot had an inside pocket where I could keep the wand, and thankfully the time I did this I was at Hogwarts so I was able to cast a charm that made the pockets undetectable, i.e. no one could see the lump the stick caused occasionally. I really wanted a holster of some sort so I could produce it with a flick of a wrist, but I wasn't sure how to do that. Besides, I rolled my sleeves up a lot.

Once my clothes had found a home in a chest of drawers and wardrobe, and my suitcase was pushed under the bed, I made my way downstairs into the kitchen. There was nothing edible in the fridge or cupboards, so after telling Crookshanks to behave, I grabbed a coat and my bag and left the house to find a shop.


	3. Chapter 2: First Impressions

**Chapter 2: First Impressions**

After a couple of days in Forks I had established where things were and I didn't get lost any more. My house was on the same road as a couple of others, but I hadn't met the neighbours yet as there was about a quarter of a mile distance if not more between the houses. Outside one house there was a police car but as my house showed no signs of someone living in it, the owner of it never bothered me. I'd scarcely used the electric, besides the cooker and the kettle. I was much too used to candle light, and there was only li'l old me in the house, so I didn't need to light every room when it got dark. On my fourth day in America, however, I had to start school. I groaned as my alarm went off at the crack of dawn. Without a car, I had to walk so an early start was imperative if I was going to get to school on time.

Once I had washed my face and brushed my teeth, I stood in my bedroom to put together an outfit. I opted to wear a black vest top with a chequered flannel shirt over the top of it, and jeans. My hair was as bushy as normal, but after drenching it with water I managed to work it into a French plait. I wanted to look presentable on my first day. First impressions and all that jazz. My messenger bag was black with an orange and red lion emblazoned on it, a personal touch that I couldn't help but add. I needed a bit of Gryffindor courage with me and this was the only way I could think of doing so with the current temperatures. When winter arrived I would be able to wear my beloved striped scarf.

By the time the clock showed the hour to be 07:15 I was ready to leave. I cuddled an annoyed Crookshanks, kissed his head and left for my first day as a muggle secondary school student. Putting on my coat and placing the strap of my bag over my head so that it went across by body, I left the house and locked the door. I drew my coat close around me as I walked, my nearly empty bag smacking repetitively against my thigh as I walked. It was cloudy and miserable today, and rain was threatening to fall. I was glad I had tied my hair back. Once I was accepted into the school by the students I'd give up making such an effort, but first impressions could rarely be rewritten.

My footsteps were the only things that broke the silence apart from the birds hiding in the trees. If there's one thing I really liked about Forks, it's the nature. There was so much of it! It made me feel at home because Hogwarts was surrounded by extensive land that included lakes, hills, and forests. It was beautiful there in the grounds, and all these trees here - whilst thankfully nothing like the Forbidden Forest - were a good reminder of all that I loved even if the weather was rubbish. Just like Britain then. The main difference colour wise was that Forks had a green tint that seemed to coat everything in a very dominating way. There were no hints of blue to balance everything out.

The walk to school was pretty uneventful, although in hindsight I was maybe cutting it a bit fine time wise. I wasn't in any rush but I underestimated the distance of this route, because I couldn't exactly use the highway to get to school. I had to walk on roads for some of the journey, which I hadn't really thought about, so I had to keep crossing from side to side every time I approached a corner. My frustration with this is best reflected in the fact that I wished I had a broomstick. Still, when I arrived at school, other pupils were arriving too so I wasn't exactly late. But being the new girl sure was noticeable in the way that practically everyone stopped to look at me. It made me feel uncomfortable, so blocking them out I made my way to reception to enrol myself officially into Forks High School.

The receptionist was lovely, and as I waited for her to gather all the information I needed I admired the plants. Indoor plants that didn't try to bite you and weren't filled with puss. How nostalgic for me! I couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of the area but there was a tugging at my heart strings because the ordinariness of this setting wasn't normal for me, and I was a little home sick for Hogwarts.

"Here you are, dear. This a map of the school and this is your timetable. Oh, and here's a form you'll need to get all your teachers to sign. At the end of the day bring it back here. If there isn't anyone available to hand it into here, just drop it in that basket. Have a nice day, and don't be a stranger if you have any questions!" she smiled, handing me several sheets of paper. I thanked her gratefully, before leaving the building and making my way to the main school complex.

"Who are you?" a voice disturbed me from my map reading, and I looked up immediately. It was a boy wearing khaki pants and a t-shirt. His question was a bit rude but I can't say I blamed him for his curiosity. Goodness knows I was inquisitive.

"I'm Hermione, who are you?" I deliberately neglected to mention my last name. I was using my real name on all my forms, but that didn't mean I wanted to be risk being called Granger again. It got under my skin that Malfoy called me that! It sounded so... derogatory. Maybe it's just because it's my name, but I'm pretty sure that every other surname sounds okay as a 'nickname'. Weasley, Potter, even Malfoy. All of them sounded better than 'Granger'. Then again Malfoy tended to say it with the same disgust as when he called me a mudblood, so it could just be me making subconscious connotations.

"My name's Mike. What's your first class?" he asked eagerly, with this weird hopeful look in his eyes. I looked at my timetable.

"I have English in building 6." Please don't have English. Please, please, please don't.

"I'll show you the way!" he said keenly. I forced a smile.

It's not that I didn't want to make friends, it's just that... well Mike seemed a bit too persistent for my liking. Oh gosh, I hope he isn't my personal Colin Creevey! I'm not sure I could handle that as well as Harry. But the way Mike looked at me was making me uncomfortable because that excitement in his eyes had me feeling like something bad was going to happen. I suppressed a sigh as I walked in silence with Mike, getting a little irritated at how close he was getting to me. Personal bubble, kiddo. Respect it. At least his mindless chatter gave me a reason to keep quiet.

When we got to English I went to go speak to the teacher, and as I was there a bit early I got to sit down straight away at the back of the class without having to introduce myself. I examined the reading list that the teacher gave me, and was almost disheartened to find that several of the texts I'd read already. On the bright side, I'd never studied them before so that would still be new and would doubtlessly inspire a new way of thinking about each of them. A small smile formed on my lips as excitement bubbled once more about muggle school.

The lesson made me quite content, even with Mike sitting next to me, and as such when someone spoke to me at the end of the English I was much more obliging than I had been with Mike.

"How are you liking Forks...?" he trailed off, clearly asking for my name.

"So far so good. I'm Hermione, and you?" I returned with a smile, and a diplomatic answer because quite frankly my opinion was neutral.

"Eric" He said, grinning at me.

And just like that I'd formed a second friendship.


	4. Chapter 3: Secret Identities

**Chapter 3: Secret Identities**

By the time lunch break arrived I'd had four classes and met several people, though I still liked Eric the best. You know how you just click with some people? I'm not saying we'd be best buddies but I got along with him well, and he introduced me to his social group at lunch. A few of them I'd already met, like Jessica, who were in other classes with me. The school was small enough for me to recognise a few of the others, even if I didn't know them by name. Jessica seemed to be annoyed with the fact that Mike had already introduced himself to me, but relaxed when I didn't encourage conversation with him. The nicest girl I'd met by far was Angela, and I spoke to her quite a bit during lunch. She reminded me a little of Ginny when she was younger.

It was whilst I was eating my lunch that I noticed a group of five sitting in the corner of the lunch room. My stomach clenched the moment I looked at them, and I quietly turned to Jessica.

"Who are they?" my tone caught her attention, and her gaze followed mine to the group that were neither talking nor eating the food in front of them.

"They're the Cullen family. Well, some of them are. The two blonde ones are Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The rest are Cullens. The other girl is Alice, the biggest guy is Emmett and the other is Edward. They're all like, together together. Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Alice," there was a tone of slight shock in her tone as she went on to reveal "and they live together! It's weird."

I wasn't surprised to hear that they all lived together in the slightest but that didn't stop me hoping that I was just really mistaken. The pale skin, the looks, and the way that Edward's eyes snapped towards us the moment we began talking about them. Vampires. I remember studying them in third year and my goodness, I did not expect to see them in a school. A coven in Forks! My parents clearly did not know about this, but a bit of me wondered if Dumbledore did. It took me a moment to realise that Jessica had started speaking again. "He doesn't date, so don't get your hopes up. They keep to themselves, have done ever since they came down from Alaska last year."

I pondered on her information for a minute, before my curiosity got the better of me. I loved hearing back stories. "So who are the parents then? Anyone I might know?" I asked innocently.

"Dr Cullen and his wife adopted them all, although I think she's the twins' aunt or something. Apparently she can't have kids." This latter little titbit annoyed me because first of all, that was private information and secondly, her not being able to have kids doesn't lessen the fact that it was still a really nice act. Five teenagers under one roof, especially with four of them in relationships, was no easy feat.

"It's still really kind of them though. My parents struggle with me and I'm an only child," I said lightly with a slight laugh, keeping my irritation to myself although my laugh was a bit ironic. My parents couldn't deal with me so much so that they sent me to the other side of the world.

Nevertheless staying in the same room as the vampires did get the better of me. I excused myself barely five minutes after my conversation with Jessica. Once outside I felt a little calmer. If they've been here for a year then it's evident they're safe, but even so! I had come to Forks to have a normal life, and now that I knew there were supernatural creatures here that wasn't going to happen. I'd be forever worrying if one of them was going to slip up and take a chunk out of someone.

In attempt to fully relax myself I walked around the school, which wasn't that big, at least in comparison to Hogwarts. On the plus side I began to learn where things were, especially around the fifth circuit of the complex. With about 15 minutes of lunch left I had reached the cafeteria again, and my impeccable timing meant that I reached it at the exact moment the Cullen coven was exiting the canteen. I froze where I was and slowly backed away. My heart was pounding in my chest and my breathing hitched when they turned to look at me. Most of them carried on walking, but Edward remained where he was, just looking at me with a frustrated expression on his face before he too turned and walked away. I let out the breath I had been holding. Apparently I needed to work on acting cool and being brave. I was vaguely aware of a slight headache forming.

Before I could get too worked up, the rest of my group came out the cafeteria. I quickly caught up with them and found out that Angela also had Biology with me. Feeling much more relaxed in her presence, we walked to class together and I quietly said goodbye as she went to her seat. I approached the teacher and handed him my slip, which he signed whilst welcoming me to Forks. He then told me to sit in the empty seat in the middle of the room. I turned around, to find that Edward Cullen was next to that particular seat. Silently hating the teacher for choosing this place for me when there was another empty one at the back of the room, I approached my seat with trepidation. Warily getting my stuff out of my bag, I sat as far from Cullen as I possibly could. For the love of Merlin, he better leave me alone.

As soon as the lesson started I was able to completely forget about the vampire next to me. I was still a bit tense but the lesson was just so interesting! We were starting a new topic about biodiversity and evolution, and I found it simply fascinated. My hand was flying across the page faster than ever before as I made notes without the need to dip my writing instrument into ink pots. Pens are such marvellous inventions, don't you think? Of course, not all the elements of the subject were new to me but it was still interesting to learn about them from a scientific stand point with proper instruction. Plus, I learnt new things like how to take samples with a quadrat. Midway through the lesson Mr Banner set us a series of questions, which he had written on the white board. People began to talk in their pairs soon after this, as the atmosphere became relaxed. Mr Banner didn't enforce silence. I was busy writing down the answers when my partner chose to speak.

"Hello," he said, his voice warm and musical. I froze instantly, my fingers changing colour as I clutched the pen tighter. "My name is Edward Cullen. You must be Hermione," he said politely. I had no idea how to react. Did I pretend to not know what he is? Or let him know? Did I act politely or end the conversation? In the end I squeaked out a 'nice to meet you' before I carried on answering the questions, hardly daring to look at him.

"I don't bite, you know," he laughed, and I looked down at the floor. The lion on my bag reminded me of my roots, and more confidently I turned to look at Edward. His eyes were amber, the corners of his mouth toying with a smile. His tousled copper hair reminded me of Harry's, but there was something much more controlled in this guy's than Harry's.

"Is that so?" I arched an eyebrow, questioning his statement. He frowned in response, laughter ending. It was then that I felt a slight headache come on, and immediately I broke eye contact. Drawing on everything I knew about blocking the mind, I did my best to relax. "Well I can't always be trusted." I flashed a smile at him, choosing to pretend to be ignorant as to his species. His laugh began again, a short chuckle that ended when Mr Banner came over, and seeing as neither of us had answered all the questions and because I was new he chose to ask: "Is everything okay, Hermione? Not stuck are we?"

I turned to smile at Mr Banner, something about his warmth ensuring he was my favourite teacher at this school quite quickly. Rather than focus on the questions which were all a walk in the park, I opted to further satisfy my curiosity.

"Not at all, sir. I was just discussing with Edward the reason for the slowing down of human evolution, and whether or not it directly correlates to the advancement of technology. What do you think?" He seemed taken aback by my comment before smiling encouragingly. He indulged my curiosity by contributing his views and before long it was the end of the lesson. I packed my bag and left the room. I hadn't gotten very far when Edward caught up with me, grabbing my wrist to get to me stop.

"Why did you lie? I mean you could have just said we were talking," he had that frustrated look again, but he seemed amused as well. He let go of my wrist and we walked in a momentarily companionable silence while I thought about it.

"I guess I'm just used to having to cover for my friends in lessons," I contemplated, thinking back fondly of all the times Harry and Ron had been distracted and I'd had to save them from getting into further trouble with the teacher. "Besides, I was genuinely interested." I was vaguely aware of Edward's watching me with evident curiosity but after we reached the gym block, I bid him farewell and that was that.

P.E. was no where near as much fun as Biology. I didn't have to participate thankfully, so I just sat down and watched as the others played badminton. I already knew the rules for the game so I just got to relax. Mike smiled at me occasionally, which I returned. He wasn't so bad now that I had gotten past his eagerness to befriend me and in a way I kind of liked it. There was something reassuring in the knowledge I was already accepted because it was different to primary school and Hogwarts. In primary school I was a bit of an outcast and at Hogwarts... Let's just say it took until Hallowe'en before I had proper friends, and that was thanks to a troll. I stood up quickly when the bell announced the end of the lesson. I noticed the Cullens by their silver car, and as Edward caught my eye I smiled at him - much to their surprise - before exiting the school grounds.


	5. Chapter 4: Son of an Umbridge!

**Chapter 4: Son of an Umbridge!**

The walk home was much less pleasant, as I soon discovered. It took the best part of an hour to get to school but the walk home felt like it took way longer. My bag was slightly heavier with the new textbooks and whatnot, and the rain was falling thick and fast. My hood was pulled up but my face was still getting drenched. I was not impressed. My arms were crossed around my body, trying to keep some warmth in when a car raced past just as I was adjacent to a fairly deep puddle.

"Eat dung!" I yelled after the car, my lower body and the majority of one side completely drenched. It wasn't the best insult in the world but it was the best I could do in that moment, shocked as I was. What kind of prat goes that fast through a puddle? What kind of sadist found amusement in that?

After a few more minutes of walking I was still ranting and raving when a silver Volvo pulled up next to me. The passenger door opened and Edward leaned across the passenger seat towards me. He seemed to be holding back a laugh, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had heard everything that had just transpired. "Would you like a ride?" he said, and as my answer I stepped forwards and got into his car. Normally I would have refused but my shivers had proceeded to the point where my teeth were chattering and I felt like an ice cube. Can I point out again that it was only September? "Thanks," I offered weakly as he turned the heating up and revved the engine before setting off.

"So car splashed you, did it?" He grinned, and I glared at him irritably while he laughed.

"Yes, slimy git didn't slow down remotely," I grumbled, choosing one of Ron's favourite insults. My choice of words seemed to entertain Edward however because his musical laugh filled the car. Before long he had me laughing too, and soon enough we were outside my house. It was infectious, and his smile really lit up his face. It also reminded me of someone, but I couldn't think who. But being outside my new home... That had my smile faltering. Frowning, I turned to face Edward.

"How did you know where I lived? I haven't told anyone..." I trailed off, looking worried and apprehensive. A vampire knows my address. Fan-bloody-tastic. He just shrugged and said "small town." It was true, but I was still a bit uncomfortable with it. But then again, now that I could really observe Edward in close proximity I became more and more aware of his golden eyes. I knew it meant that he only drank from animals so that was some source of comfort but it wasn't a particularly big source. Looks can be deceiving after all. I mean, Professor Snape; everyone hated him but I knew that he was loyal to our cause. However, because he looks so vengeful all the time, not many trust him. With a small sigh I got out the car, and ducking my head against the rain I smiled once more at Edward.

"Thanks for the ride, I appreciate it," I shut the car door and ran to the front door. I turned to wave once more when I was on the porch, before entering the house as the Volvo drove relatively slowly away.

"Crookshanks, I'm home!" I called out, and the aloof ginger cat mewed at me from somewhere upstairs. I heard his paw-steps as he came down the staircase, and chucking my bag on the floor I rushed over to meet him. Scratching him behind the ear, I started to talk to him non-stop about my day and the vampires that I met with my voice quiet, soft and energetic. Turns out that muggle schools could be interesting, though in a very different way. I carried on talking to him as I went upstairs to change, opting for my pyjamas seen as they were already out, in order to get out of my drenched clothes. I jogged back downstairs to throw them straight in the machine, still prattling away to Crookshanks who I genuinely think glazed over. I playfully glared at him, loving my cat despite his poor day-to-day listening skills.

My stomach growled, reminding me that I didn't completely finish my lunch, and I set about preparing a pasta bake that would last me for a couple of days. As I prepared the tomatoes and courgettes, I couldn't help but think about Edward again, and that nagging sensation that he'd triggered in the car. Who did he remind me of? I frowned, knowing that the answer would come to me sooner or later. With a shrug, I neatly arranged the pasta and vegetables into a dish and put it in the oven before setting about getting some tinned fish sorted for Crookshanks. It wasn't exactly luxury for him, but I had no idea what he was usually given at Hogwarts and Diagon Alley wasn't exactly down the road. Placing the bowl of cat food on the floor, I made my way towards the stairs to pick up my school bag. I placed it on the table and got out my maths book. Trigonometry was a new concept to me, and I knew I should make sure I spent plenty of time on it. The moment my textbook and notepad were open I fell into a very familiar rhythm, and could almost pretend that I was somewhere in the north of the UK.

A timer pinged, causing me to startle and jump out of my concentrated serenity. I could almost hear my mum yelling 'dinner' as I hopped off the stool I'd been sitting on to get my food out the oven. Putting the dish on a stand on the counter, inhaling deeply the wonderful comfort food smell, I grabbed a bowl and served myself a decent portion, and then put some foil over the remainder of the dish should one helping be insufficient. As I was now up, I grabbed a match box and lit the two candles I had on the table, and a couple in the living room as well. It was getting quite dark, but I didn't like to turn the lights on. They seemed so harsh after soft lighting. Maybe I should get some fairy lights (the muggle version), I thought contently, or a fireplace. Yes, a fireplace would be lovely.

Tucking into my dinner with one hand, I carried on working with my right until the maths work was finished and I was satisfied all the answers were correct. Mr Varner was the only teacher to set homework besides my English teacher, so as soon as I had completed maths, I took out my copy of 'The Great Gatsby', the text the class was currently reading, and lost myself in the pages of the novel.

Thus, the rest of the evening passed away in a most gratifying manner. I was more than satisfied when I went upstairs that night, having ensured all the downstairs windows and doors were locked. Crookshanks came into my bedroom as always, and I got comfy in bed feeling safe with him nearby. If there was one thing that I disliked - more than anything else so far - it was how vulnerable I felt. I was an under-age witch, so I didn't even have any wards to protect me, and houses tend to make strange noises at night.

* * *

**A/N:** Short chapter, but I felt bad for making you guys wait so long! If there are any typos, I am truly sorry. I didn't have much time to proof read this evening. If you find any grammatical errors that make anything hard to understand, please point them out!

Honestly the response I have had to this fanfic has been crazy, and I just want to thank all of you for taking the time to read, favourite, follow and review. It means a lot to me, not least because this is my first published fanfiction. I hope the story is agreeable to you, and if you have any ideas then feel free to comment with them and I'll see if I can work them in.

After a guest review from JellyBelly, I just wanted to quickly clarify something: Hermione is not yet 17 - but she will be soon, and it will be explicitly stated... eventually at least. So hopefully you can wait a few more chapters before our witch can do some spells.

As another side note - I am not American, so if any of the canon characters say anything that is out of the norm due to dialect differences, I am really sorry. My scapegoat is that this from Hermione's point of view, and she is also British! But seriously, if there's anything I say that really annoys you in terms of the Twilight characters, then let me know and I'll see what I can do.


	6. Chapter 5: Battle Scars

**A/N:**** Warning - this chapter deals with death. It is not necessary to read this chapter to follow the story line.**

**Chapter 5: Battle Scars**

That night I worked out who Edward Cullen reminded me of.

I dreamt that I was in a dark room and he was standing in front of me. His bronze hair was almost vibrant against the darkness. He was illuminating the surroundings and then all of a sudden he himself lit up, like he was a star chasing the shadows away. I blinked at the bright light and when I opened them again there were people all around me, their cheering fading into a silence that was filled with tension and shock. I recognised where we were. It was the final task of the Triwizard Tournament, right when Harry appeared via portkey. Harry was holding onto someone in a chequered top and I could hear Amos Diggory's voice just as clearly as I did that evening, crying out "that's my son!" before screaming broke out and general hysterics amongst the spectators. I was calling out to both Cedric and Harry, wanting desperately to believe that it wasn't true. Harry looked completely broken, and I just wanted to get down there and hold him, comfort him. But I couldn't, and not just because we were told to remain where we were but because I couldn't be near Cedric. Too many intelligent people were there for it not to be true that he was dead, but I couldn't accept it. I knew that if I were to see his lifeless eyes that I would be in just as bad a state as Amos or Harry.

With a flash everyone disappeared as my dream started altering events. It was just me in the stands and Cedric on the floor. Slowly I walked towards him, my footsteps loud against the wooden steps before being muffled by the grass. As I cautiously approached him I could feel tears streaming down my face. Dropping to my knees, I reached out a hand to touch him but his body was just as cold and lifeless as I imagined it would be back then.

"I won't wake," a voice said from behind me and I turned to see Cedric hovering behind me. He was ghost-like. He was slightly translucent but he still looked solid, and he wasn't monotone. There was colour to him, just a bit faded. His yellow and black top, his dark hair, his bright eyes. He sort of glided towards me, looking down at his body whilst I just kept quiet, crying.

"I died, Hermione. Nothing will change that. I'm just the first recognised casualty of the second war," he spoke gently, comforting me but it didn't help. He was just telling me the things I knew, seen as this was my dream. I looked up at ghost-Cedric's face, breathing shakily.

"You shouldn't have died. No one should have to die because of one man's desire for power. You should be alive right now, looking after Cho. It's not fair that someone like you should have died," my voice was broken, and he gently placed his warm hand on my shoulder (apparently ghost-Cedric went against logic) whilst lowering himself to kneel beside me. Eventually his arm had worked its way around my waist as I turned to just cling to him and sob helplessly into his chest.

"When you died... that assembly was awful. Everyone was affected by your death. But what makes it worse is that everyone seems to have forgotten you. I forgot you, which is why I'm having this dream now. And you were fantastic, Cedric. You always were," I said to him, needing to tell him now in case I never 'saw' him again. He moved one hand to my chin, tenderly guiding my face until I was looking up at him. He was smiling sadly.

"The dead never truly leave us, Hermione. I may not be in the forefront of your memory but that's part of moving on and it's good. Don't feel guilty for not seeing me in Edward straight away, the point is you do now," he spoke reassuringly, before standing up again and moving towards the maze. The hedge reacted to his presence, one entrance opening up. "I never thought I would visit the brightest witch of her age," he said smiling slightly. He turned to leave but I couldn't resist calling out to him. He turned slightly, looking back at me in the exact same way he looked back when he entered the maze last year. I opened and shut my mouth several times, not knowing what to say. He seemed to understand because he said "Remember me." and with a final smile he turned and left. When the hedge blocked him off from me, it severed my connection with the dream.

I woke up sweating, and within moments I was crying relentlessly. I knew when he said 'remember me' he was referring to the dream him, but there was a bit of me that wondered if it was entirely a dream and not actually him entering my mind from the spirit realm. I had heard of such things before and thought it to be completely nonsensical, but now I was clutching to the idea as though my life depended on it. My body was shaking violently, and I had curled up into a ball as I tried and failed to sort my breathing out. It wasn't until that point that I realised I'd never really gotten over his death. I had accepted it, but then I was never very good with death. And I'd wanted to be strong for Harry as he'd been through more than usual that year. I never really grieved. There was no closure.

Getting up, I felt my way to the bathroom, my eyes too blurry to be relied upon. Grabbing some toilet roll I blew my nose, in an attempt to regain my breath, whilst I leant against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. "Cedric..." I whispered softly, and I could have sworn I felt something warm rest on my shoulder before fading away.


	7. Chapter 6: Two Steps Back

**Chapter 6: Two Steps Back**

The next day was hell. I wasn't able to get back to sleep so I ended up just sitting silently in the living room at 3am with Crookshanks asleep on the sofa next to me. I drank some tea, hoping it would help to numb the pain, but all that it achieved was making me need the toilet where I proceeded to cry again, remembering the sensation of his touching my shoulder. All I could think of was that Cedric was a really good guy, and that I wished I had known him better. He was nice to me, the few times we interacted, and he deserved to win the Triwizard Tournament. I'm not saying that Harry didn't, but it would have been nice if it'd been a tie like it was supposed to be. I loathed myself for not realising that Mad-Eye Moody was a fake. I know he had fooled everyone, yet I still couldn't help but think that if I put two and two together then the portkey might have been discovered. Even if the games were called off, I wouldn't have cared. If it meant that no one died or had any other unforgivable curse placed upon them it would have been worth it.

When it got to 5am I was unable to stay in the house any more. Numbly, I packed my school bag and then went to get washed and dressed. I put on the same jeans as yesterday, a navy blue vest top and then pulled a black hoody over my head. It was a size or two too big for me so it was baggy and comfy. Perfect for hiding inside of it. I left my hair down and after spraying some strawberry scented body spray over myself, I grabbed a cereal bar from the cupboard, put it in my bag and left for school the moment I'd slipped my black converse on, not caring that it was stupid to walk on the roads dressed in dark colours whilst there was minimal light. I simply couldn't care less.

I dragged my feet slightly as I walked, kicking the occasional stone whilst my hands were in the single pocket that went across my lower abdomen. The chill in the air brought colour to my cheeks but if I was cold then I can't say I really noticed. I just kept on walking, fiddling with the wand that I had shoved into the pocket as well. I hoped no one would see it, but when I got to school I planned on putting it in my bag anyway. Speaking of school, I arrived there by half six. Needless to say, there was no one there. I slipped under the barrier that shut off the student car park from the main road, making my way to a bench that was on the nearby field. I didn't care that it was wet. I just sat on the table and put my feet on the actual bench part. I pulled my hood up and watched the sky, counting the number of cars I heard pass by, and when that proved too infrequent to be a distraction, I counted the seconds instead, returning to 'one' every time I lost my place or had a feeling that I skipped a number.

In this manner I passed the rest of the time before the car park was opened. The caretaker seemed to recognise me as a student so left me alone. I hoped he could simply tell that I wanted to be alone, rather than being scared off by my current surly teenager attire. When people started to arrive I watched them, keeping my hands in my pockets the entire time. Whenever someone that I knew caught my gaze, I would look away swiftly. Apparently something in my expression kept them away. When I saw Mike and that group, I firmly kept my face down hoping that none of them would recognise me. I was even contemplating running across the field to sit amongst the trees but I knew myself too well; after remembering the maza from the task, I would be freaked out and expect to see any number of horrors come out.

My gaze was caught by a volvo that drove to my end of the car park. Damn car park for filling up. I kept my face pointed towards my knees as much as possible while I sneaked glances at the Cullen family from beneath my eyelashes. They paid no attention to me and I was starting to relax, heck I even considered going over to greet Mike. I sat up a little straighter, mentally preparing myself to brighten up and act at the very least neutral, when Edward turned around. Without even thinking about it I turned to look at him, and felt as though my heart was being crushed. I saw Cedric in him more than ever and it allowed all the pain I'd managed to become numb to earlier on in the morning to come back with a vengeance. Vaguely aware that my eyes were tearing up, I yanked my gaze away and set about controlling my breathing. I refused to cry at (this) school. Leaping off the bench, I hastily cut across the car park, forced to move closer to the Volvo by a few cars searching for a spot, before I all but ran into the girls toilets. I walked into an empty cubicle at the end and leant against the wall. I had noticed the Cullen's surprised stares, but right now I couldn't think about that.  
"Relax, Granger" I muttered to myself. I put my wand in my bag whilst I remembered, before taking some toilet roll and shoving that in as well in case I had a break down at some point during the day. Letting out one last, shaky breath, I headed for first period just as the five minute warning bell sounded.

People tried to talk to me in lessons, asking me if I was okay. I politely told them that I was fine, before refusing to answer their questions in any depth, aiming to say as little as possible. It was sweet that they were worried, but I couldn't exactly tell them that I was remembering the death of someone without them asking more questions - especially seen as the truth of the matter was that Cedric was closer to acquaintance than friend, as much as that hurt to think, and therefore I shouldn't be quite so distressed and depressed even with the dream. At lunch I sat at the end of the table, picking at the cereal bar I had brought to school. I had one bite then threw the rest in the bin.

Unable to tolerate the curious looks sent in my direction, I left the cafeteria early to head to Biology, leaning against the wall outside the classroom as I mulled over the few comments I'd heard being made in the canteen. Jessica was offended that I wasn't telling her why I was in such a mess, and I caught a snide remark from one of her friends saying that she would bet money that I was an emo or attention seeker. I had to hold back a snort when I heard that. Despite my bad mood, I was amused by the irony of the attention seeker notion. Nevertheless, for the most part I had tuned out their voices. Now, faced with Biology in about ten minutes, I had to come up with a battle plan for not having a massive break down. I'd kept my hood up all day, so I supposed that I could just do that again. My hair was swept over my shoulder so that would provide some sort of shelter too, thanks to the volume of it. Yet I had a sneaky suspicion that it wouldn't be enough to deter Edward from questioning me, and what with his looking so much like Cedric... I was vulnerable, and I could do without a vampire being familiar with every skeleton in my closet, thank you very much.

I was still working out whether or not I should just make an excuse right at the start of the lesson when the door to the lab opened. Mr Banner was there, and upon seeing me there so early he startled. No one else was even in the corridor yet.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" He asked gently, his eyes touched with genuine concern. I really couldn't deal with a member of staff raising a red flag over my mental state so I forced myself to smile.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. Just cold and tired as I forgot my coat today," I half lied, pointing to my hood with what I hoped was a sheepish smile. Mr Banner seemed somewhat convinced before saying I could go sit down if I wanted. I nodded and entered the lab, getting my things out carefully. I had just opened my notebook, pen poised when everyone else started filing into the classroom. I was aware of a few comments, but I just gritted my teeth and ignored it whilst imagining that everyone who was talking about me - particularly the one that tried to label me as an emo/attention seeker - with boils all over their skin, and I mean the kind that comes from a potion going wrong and exploding in their faces. That entertained me for a while, until I distinctly heard the stool next to me move and sensed rather than heard Edward Cullen sit down.

"Hello," he said lightly. I just nodded in acknowledgement, glancing up only to briefly smile at him before tearing my gaze away. Unfortunately Mr Banner was still setting up for the lesson, and there were a few people missing. Like I predicted, Edward didn't leave me alone.

"How are you?" he asked, and I had to suppress a sarcastic bark of laughter. Well, it was certainly different to everyone else just assuming something was wrong. I chose to look down at my notebook intently when I answered.

"I'm just tired, so sorry if I'm not talkative throughout the lesson," I said quietly, aware that my hand shook slightly. My imagination was no longer imagining boils on everyone else, but morphing Edward into Cedric. Out the corner of my eye I saw him frown, knowing that I was holding back on him. He looked at Mr Banner and then scanned the room slowly. I wondered what on earth he could be doing to the point where I had turned my face a little to watch him when suddenly his gaze snapped back to mine. He seemed.. hesitant, almost as much as me in making that assumption. Thankfully the lesson started and if things continued as normal then there would be half an hour of peace and quiet.

* * *

There was not half an hour of peace and quiet, and that really annoyed me. Mr Banner walked around placing a tray on each desk, informing us that we would be looking at the cells of different leaves in order to see how environment impacts plant structure. I was not impressed, and couldn't help but scowl at his back after he'd delivered a tray to mine and Edward's desk. My expression seemed to spark his interest because within seconds he spoke to me.

"What's Mr Banner done to annoy you then?" He questioned me, and my scowl shifted to him. He seemed amused by my irritation as opposed to offended by it. I just shook my head and sighed, looking at the tray instead - no longer scowling. The tray contained a microscope, clear nail vanish and different cuts of leaves, as well as the slides to put them in. I felt my stomach clench with anxiety. I'd never done this experiment before. Truth be told I'd never used a microscope before, but how different could it be from a telescope? I exhaled slowly, transferring my gaze to the whiteboard in order to read the method. The first few steps were easy, just apply a thin layer of nail vanish and then once that was dry, peel it off carefully and apply to the slide, put the small square cover on top, then put that into the microscope and focus it.

"I'll do the preparation if you like?" I half queried, half stated. He seemed okay with that, so I set about applying nail vanish. My hands were still a little shaky but the repetition was more than helpful in collecting my thoughts. By the time the first slide was ready I was feeling stronger, but as I passed the slide to him, it all went wrong. His skin was a ice cold, a consequence of not having a functioning heart, and as I passed him the slide my fingers touched his. I pulled back with a start, my mind instantly flashing back to the dream. The cold corpse lingered in my mind and I was pretty sure that the neutral masked I'd worked to hard to maintain had disappeared long enough for him to get a glimpse of my grief and pain. Edward looked shocked, but thankfully he had maintained a grasp on the slide so no one else noticed my little freak out session. He didn't comment on it, and we worked in silence. Whenever he focused the microscope, he would push it slightly towards me so that I could have a look, but that was as close as we got to talking; small gestures saying 'here you go'.

Unfortunately this lesson promised to get worse. It was supposed to take us 30-45 minutes (in order to cater for the various abilities, incorrect application of nail vanish and microscope problems etc) and we'd finished in basically fifteen minutes. Whilst I was content with the silence, Edward was dead set on engaging me in conversation.

"So what brought you to Forks?" he asked innocently, and I instantly began making dots on the margin of my notebook, trying to vent some of my tension.

"It's complicated," I replied slowly, hoping that my tone would be enough to get him to drop it. Unfortunately, there was a loud smash that caused me to startle. Someone had managed to take out all but one of their slides, which meant they had to start again. The boy who did it was bright red, and mentally I decided to nickname him Neville.

"I think we have plenty of time," he said, amusement evident in his tone. I sighed softly, trying to quickly come up with something. I obviously couldn't just tell him I was a witch, but I wouldn't know what to say if I said 'my school shut down' and he were then to ask 'what school did you go to?'. I would freeze up and panic. So instead I went for the next best option.

"My parents thought it best for my welfare," I answered, which was true to some extent. The vampire quirked an eyebrow.

"It doesn't seem to be working. Where's the smiley girl gone to?" He asked lightly, and in a sweet way I could tell he was just trying to cheer me up. I smiled faintly, although it didn't touch my eyes. My smile felt as fake as it looked, but I wanted to make a small effort, so I grabbed my pen, leaned over, and drew a smiley face in the corner of his notebook.

"There, now when you revise biodiversity for exams, you'll have a smiley face set in ink," I playfully said. My mood hadn't improved, I was mostly just putting on a good act for his sake. I was very grateful for his attitude towards me, but it just wasn't a good enough attempt. And suddenly I found myself missing my best friends.

That put me in a foul mood again.

* * *

I rushed out the gym as quickly as I could when class was over, eager to get home but first I had to go to the toilets so I could put my wand back in my pocket. I hadn't gotten very far when I found a vampire walking beside me, only it wasn't the one I was used to.

"Hello?" I said, surprised and confused and praying to Merlin it wasn't an ambush of some description. I felt my muscles tense, as I considered fleeing. I came to a stand still when we reached the corner of the car park.

"Hello. My name is Jasper Hale," he said, his posture just as stiff and uncomfortable as Harry's when Wormtail pleaded for his life. Except... I felt a very different emotion coming off of Jasper. Some sort of calmness and serenity. Immediately I resisted the temptation to feel them emotions because I knew full well they were not mine.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Hermione. You're Edward's brother, aren't you?" I asked in order to be polite, watching as he inclined his head as a yes. We stood in an awkward silence, with me dragging up every bad memory in order to reject the emotions I was fairly sure he was trying to get me to feel. After a further half second (though trust me, it felt like a lot longer) I decided to leave.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to go. Nature calls," I said quickly, turning and quickly walking to the toilets. He didn't follow me. It wasn't until I reached the empty toilets that I realised what I had said. "Nature calls? Seriously, Hermione?" I groaned, rubbing my forehead with my hand. It was a lie, but at least it prevented him following me. Although seen as he apparently has the ability to muck around with my emotions he probably knew my bladder was empty. I haven't had a drink since.. well, practically twelve hours ago, seen as it must be around 4pm now. With a sigh, I got the wand out of my bag and placed it in my pocket. Then, I turned the hand drier on and appreciated the temperature before quickly shoving my hands in my pocket and leaving, hoping that the warm air would linger for a while. The volvo was still in the car park, and as soon as I was in sight I felt five pairs of golden eyes on me. I ignored them as best as I could, which involved readjusting my hood, before starting my two mile walk home.


	8. Chapter 7: A Vampire's Perspective

**Chapter 7: A Vampire's Perspective**

Driving to school was tedious, not least because I could hear Rosalie and Emmett bickering. She was furious that I was befriending a human, while Emmett was trying to reason with her. It was amusing at first, but it soon became irksome because I could also hear what they were thinking. Alice and Jasper are supportive of me being nice to a human, but I know Jasper is struggling with the concept. It is still difficult for him sometimes. I tried to tune them out, which I managed to do effectively the moment we got closer to school. I could read the minds of the other students, hear them enjoy a good old gossip at the expense of my biology partner, and some things about whether they should go see if she was okay or whether she was emo. Lauren had that particular thought, I noticed with a grimace. Nevertheless, I was curious as to what was making them so wary of my biology partner.

And then I saw her. As we drove smoothly into the car park, finally yet reluctantly slowing down the speeds of our cars, I saw her sitting on one of the damp picnic tables on the field near the car park. The shadows under her eyes revealed a lack of sleep that could have rivalled ours, and the paleness of her skin wasn't far behind. The slight redness of her eyes and the tear tracks were very clear to us. Even Jasper found his gaze moving towards her with concern.

"She's completely distraught" he said quietly, his gaze moving to me to see how I would take it. I was naturally worried. I've been with Jasper for a long, long time and I don't recall him ever once using the word 'distraught' to describe a human's emotions, most certainly not in Forks. Rosalie seemed to notice something on my face because as we got out the car she started on me, telling me to leave well enough alone, that it was none of our concern. I kept my gaze on her politely, but after a while I heard movement on the table and couldn't help but turn around. The expression on Hermione's face was one that I think will haunt me for a long time. The instant she made eye contact with me it was like something crumbled inside her. Jasper looked at me, silently asking if I wanted him to alter her mood but I shook my head. It wasn't my place.

Still, I kept tabs on her throughout the day. I was already so used to her just handling the students with ease. She was polite to everyone, and unlike a lot of people she wanted to learn. Anyone would think she'd never been at high school before, the way she looked around the classrooms with fascination. It was sweet, and a nice change. What also made her interesting was the fact I couldn't read her mind. It was muffled, like something was blocking it. Sometimes it was like it was starting to tune in, but then it would go quieter than normal. I considered if she was aware that she was blocked me out, but I brushed that thought away. How on earth could she? So, I was forced to rely on reading the minds of those around her to find out how she was doing. I wasn't impressed.

She was stopping anyone from knowing her business, blocking them out but also scarcely making any notes in class either. Her blocking them out indirectly stopped me from knowing the truth of the matter, which was frustrating. I was used to knowing these sorts of things. From what I could gather everything she was doing had a force of habit approach. I hoped it was not true, eagerly waiting to see some sort of improvement at lunch to little avail. She didn't eat or talk to anyone. With a dry smile I realised she was behaving how the rest of the room perceived us to be. I glanced at Jasper, giving him a slight nod when he told me to make her happy with his thoughts. Rosalie would have been tempted to fight him if he said it out loud.

When biology came around she was already in the class, and from her posture I could tell she was tense, maybe from hearing the not-so-quiet comments being made by those she hung around with yesterday,, as well as strangers. I tried to carry on as normal, but she was shutting me out too, warning me in advance that she wasn't "in a talkative mood". I remembered again how she nearly burst into tears after looking at me this morning, and I had to think hard to make sure I had not upset her. It was nonsense, of course. I was always polite to her, repaying her for jumping to Esme's defence on her first day here - not that she would ever know that's why I initially spoke to her in Biology. She was surprisingly good company which made it worth while. However that was yesterday, and today she was not in such a pleasant mood. She was doing her best not to look at me. It made it all the more irritating that I couldn't read her mind, especially when she looked appalled at the fact it was pair work rather than note taking. I couldn't resist a slight chuckle at the scowling though. She looked too sweet to be taken seriously, so I endeavoured to find out what brought out this reaction. She didn't verbally respond to my question, her first spoken words to me being about the division of the work. When the first slide was prepared she handed it to me, her face schooled into something resembling neutral. Our hands brushed against each other.

If I were human, I would have fallen off my stool with the way she reacted when our fingers touched. It wasn't a typical reaction to the cold, it was like I'd triggered something else because the white noise I got from her head was going frantic, and her facial expression pained my chest in a way that hasn't happened for a long time. Deciding it was best to just let her deal with whatever it was she was feeling, we finished the rest of the experiment in silence. This is probably why we finished it so early, and I could not maintain this quiet knowing she was miserable. I asked her how she was liking Forks, trying to get her to explain her reasons for coming here. She was proving to be quite the secret keeper! When at long last I managed to get a smile out of her - it wasn't entirely sincere but I'll take it - she seemed grateful. Leaning over me she began to draw something on my notebook, and I watched her curiously. A colon, a dot and a bracket.

I knew I would treasure that page for a long time.

My next lesson was incredibly tedious, knowing that I had a request to make of Jasper. I was almost restless, not paying the slightest bit of attention. When the bell went I had to forced myself to act human, but I put on a little spurt to stand outside one of the history classrooms. Jasper glanced up at me as he left the room, and came over to meet me. "Change her," I pleaded quietly, and he cottoned on straight away to what I was referring to. He left me in the corridor as he set out to find my new bushy-haired biology partner. After a minute or so, I followed suit only to find that she was resisting his efforts. That or Jasper's gift was ineffective on her, but I was more inclined to think the first. She didn't stand with him for very long before she left, heading towards the toilets even though I was fully aware that there couldn't possibly be any fluid in her system. She hadn't drunk a thing all day. Nevertheless I appreciated his attempts, and the two of us walked to our cars in silence.

We watched Hermione exit the building she'd been in, noticed that she was aware of us looking at her, and then observed as she left the school to walk home in a depressed state that wasn't much of an improvement on this morning. If not for Rosalie's snarl I would have run over to her, to walk home with her or to insist she talk to me, but instead I found myself driving home with some very irritable passengers.

* * *

**I am so sorry for taking so long to update! I know this chapter is short, but I am editing the next two chapters as I type so there will be more to come soon and hopefully it'll be of better quality than this chapter. Thank you for sticking with me!**


	9. Chapter 8: Prefect Duties

**Chapter 8: Prefect Duties**

By the time I crossed the threshold into my relatively new home, I was beyond cold. The frigid temperatures outside were the sort that seeped into your bones if you were left vulnerable to its harsh bite for too long. Crookshanks was there as soon as I had shut the front door. He rubbed his body around my legs, pressing his head into my hand as I crouched down to make a fuss of him. Instead of talking to him I remained quiet, just letting him comfort me in a way that demonstrated the fact he possessed knowledge of the cause of my distress. He was my only real friend at this moment in time, which isn't as depressing as it sounds because the quality of our bond was probably equal to a few strong friendships put together and then some. I'd long since learnt the joy of true friends. A pang in my chest resulted in me thinking of Hedwig and Harry. Their relationship was similar to the one Crookshanks and I had, however I would not be surprised to learn that theirs was a deeper bond not just because of the extended period of time of knowing each other, but because I would say Hedwig was very close to being his familiar. A shaky sigh left my lips and I meandered into the living room, slowly shuffling towards the mirror. I stared at my pale face, taking in my dishevelled appearance before I met my own eyes. "Okay, Granger. That's it. You've had your day of sulking. Pull yourself together for Merlin's sake! He's not him, and dwelling on what used to be won't change things. Get. Your. Act. Together, goddamnit! Don't be the mudblood they think you are." I hissed, with a look of disgust that could rival Malfoy's.

I spent the rest of the evening doing work. I caught up and expanded the notes I'd made in lessons so that they were of a better quality, and then started on the few pieces of homework I had been set. It was quite relaxing, although having to go over classwork to improve it made me hate myself a little bit more. I was usually the one to tell others off for such antics, and now I had succumbed to them! Although, considering how long I ended up spending time to catch up, I made a promise to myself to never do it again. This occasion was a one off, and actually it was useful because it kept my mind occupied and aided me in procrastinating going to bed. I was rather anxious about having another Cedric dream. It was unlikely given how awful I'd felt today, but in regards to how much I had relived memories of him over the course of the day... improbable, but entirely possible. It was almost 11 o'clock before I managed to get into bed, and Crookie lay down next to me protectively. Despite my apprehension, my body was exhausted from lack of food, water and sleep and due to this I was out within minutes.

The next day at school was a lot better. I was somewhat on the way towards recovery, and I managed to at the very least engage in conversation in some average 'look, it's cloudy again' sort of way. I still wasn't as bubbly as I was on my first day here, but I didn't really expect to return back to normal so quickly even after I told myself off. My note taking was a lot better however, so that there is my silver lining. After fourth period, I went to the cafeteria to eat lunch. My sandwich was adequate, and the apple I bought was sweet and juicy, and not made from slave labour (S.P.E.W. had really not taken off as much as I wanted it to at Hogwarts).. Having carefully selected a seat next to Angela, with Eric opposite me, I was in good company too. They told me how they were school journalists, and that they were really excited about the whole thing. We were having quite the conversation about possible future topics that could get people interested when the door to the cafeteria burst open.

Two guys were fighting. I didn't know who they were, but they were really going for each other so I figured there must be bad blood between them. I was so preoccupied with trying to work out what had caused the fight and who they were that it took me longer than it should have to noticed that one of them had a bloody nose. I felt my muscles tense up. This was not good. I snapped my head around to where the Cullens were to discover that they were all looking at Jasper. The biggest guy, Emmett, had his hand on Jasper's shoulder and Alice was watching him anxiously. Instant concern went out to them all. Forks was such a small place, and the school did not have a large number of students so I could not imagine that this sort of thing was very common. Yet, I was reminded of my initial fear of the vampires being in a school. Accidents did happen. What if Jasper was here alone? Would the situation be the same? This was a potentially very irresponsible situation. My staring at the Cullens however, soon caught Edward's attention because he suddenly frowned at Jasper, and then his eyes darted to me. I was about to ask whether Jasper was okay, before remembering that they didn't know that I knew what they were. Instead, I tore my eyes away from his and rushed towards the fighting boys without hesitation. I missed being able to do magic at times like this.

Some of the other students were cheering the fight on, and as I got closer I had to stumble back to avoid an elbow that suddenly came swinging back. That really got my goat. Feeling my hair prickle, I kept my place at the front of the circle that had gathered. Ideally I wanted to use a table to ram it in the middle of the two brawling students but I couldn't see how that was possible with the enclosed students, so instead I threw myself into the middle of the fight. One of the boys tried to push me out the way, but I stood my ground, placing one hand on each of them pushing them away from each other. I was not particularly strong, but someone else came to help pull them apart. I realised with a start that it was Mike that was trying to help.

"What the heck do you think you are doing, brawling in the canteen? You should be ashamed of yourselves!" I said in a raised voice. I didn't care that I wasn't a prefect here, this behaviour was totally unacceptable. Someone told me to shut up, but I sent a glower in their direction that seemed to silence them. "Need I remind you that we are all nearly adults? Egging on a fight is as bad as starting it. Someone else could have been hurt, besides these two idiots." I hissed, and I jumped slightly when Mr Banner's voice rang out from behind me. "You two. My office. Now." He sounded extremely annoyed, and I stood aside as the two students left to go to his office. I had no idea how long their fight would have gone on if it weren't for the teacher's arrival. "Miss Granger, I take it you intervened?" I nodded silently. He smiled at me. "Thank you for behaving in such a mature manner. You too, Mike. It seems we need more students like you." He said, sending a dark look at the rest of the crowd that had done nothing to stop the boys. Some of them looked a bit sheepish, and the cafeteria was still in silence when the bell rang for next lesson.

It was a bit awkward as we all left. I was getting a few glares for being a teacher's pet, but I didn't care about that. I was more concerned about Jasper being able to cope with the rest of the day. Goodness knows if anyone was bitten... It would not end well, least of all for the Cullens. I cannot begin to imagine what it's like to have to uproot and start again every however many years. I suppose in a sense they were fugitives. Kind of like how Sirius used to be.

My mood sobered. Poor Sirius. I am sorry for his death. Harry was so devastated by his passing, and I too felt it. I was never close with him and I still think he was reckless, but I do respect him. I just wished that there had been a way to check whether Sirius had been at Grimauld's Place. With a sigh, I hastened to Biology where I claimed my seat next to Edward. He was already there, and he turned to look at me as I sat down. His posture temporarily stiffened, causing me to tense up fearing that I stank of blood. Before I could get too worked up, I quickly started conversation.  
"How is Jasper?" I quietly asked, feeling certain that no one else had ever noticed the Cullens' absence from the circle. Edward frowned at me slightly, but not in a 'shut-your-face' kind of way.  
"He's better, thank you. It's not the first panic attack he's had," Edward lied skilfully, and I pressed him for no further comment. Neither of us spoke for a few seconds and then, "Why did you stop the fight?"  
"Because they were behaving like idiots, and no one seemed prepared to do anything about it," I snapped. I did not need him questioning me too.  
"You could have been hurt," He sounded concerned, and that stopped me in my tracks. I turned to look at him and noticed the lingering confusion around his eyes, but at that moment Mr Banner walked in. He still looked as annoyed as a Blast-Ended Skrewt, but he appeared able to rein it in.

After an hour of almost silent workbook exercises, I headed to gym for a game of volleyball. Until coming here I had never actually played this sport, and I was far from being one of the strongest members on the team. I tried, even if people were half ignoring me today. Nonetheless, it was a relief when the day ended. I quickly changed and then left the building. I hadn't walked far when Edward joined me. I smiled politely at him in greeting.  
"Would you like a lift home?" I hesitated with his abrupt question. A lift would be welcome but I was suspicious. It was unexpected and given the events of the day I felt reluctant, especially after a furtive glance towards his sister.  
"No thank you," he was surprised by my answer, I think, because he frowned at me but then he followed my line of sign, inclined his head, and walked off.

A small sigh escaped me as I watched him walk away. It was much easier to deal with him when there were several feet of distance between us because that way I didn't have to think about his eating habits, his awareness of what I did or did not know and for a while I could even semi-forget his existence. It wasn't the same as at Hogwarts, where there were several floors and corridors between people at times, but separate classes at Forks High School were the best I could hope for as a buffer. Shaking my head to rid myself of my wandering thoughts, I headed home feeling quite relieved that I was alone.

The path homewards was quite familiar to me now, and even the splattering of rain was somehow soothing. I liked to pretend that each droplet was carrying away some of my stress. This stopped the moment the heavens opened up so completely that a thick, icy sheet of rain drops was drowning me. I sprinted to my front door, and almost tripped over myself as I avoided a letter that was on the floor. As I slammed the door shut carelessly, I stared at the envelope on the matt with a grin rapidly developing on my face. I'd recognise that handwriting anywhere! Eagerly picking up the letter, I tore into it to get to the message.

_Dearest Mia,  
_  
_It has been so long since you left to go on your travels! Have you tried the ginger snaps, yet? I hear they are good, even if crumbs end up everywhere. I know how much you have been craving the comfort of your homeland. I feel it too - work is steadily building up. I'm sure overtime payment is not good enough, especially as I'm helping a colleague who doesn't seem capable of retaining the proper procedure schedule. I'd wager anything that you'd still be more efficient than us whilst you journey across the world so I shouldn't complain. Grandpa sent us a postcard by the way, which you really need to see soon. The old man has really outdone himself this time! Perhaps you will see him when you get to your next destination?  
_  
_I can hear the children kicking up a fuss in the next room, so I will end this letter. I hope you are well and that my relatives aren't driving you too crazy. Who'd have thought they'd have emigrated? Perhaps they'd like to adopt our Siamese cats as they're driving me insane.  
_  
_All my love, and that of our children,  
Jim_

I snorted as I read the letter. The amount of coding that went into it clearly meant that things weren't doing so well in Britain, but it somehow made the letter so much more entertaining. Ron was eating with his same old table manners, and they both hated homework. I think the rest of the Weasley clan and our friendship group were the children, with the twins somehow still somehow influencing things. That, or Ron and Ginny were at each others' throats. The only thing that was confusing me was the sentence about Dumbledore. Next destination? I frowned a little, unable to come up with a solution to that particular riddle. As far as I knew I was not leaving Forks, and I certainly didn't intend to be changing schools every couple of weeks. With a small shrug, I put the letter down on the work surface. It was lovely to hear from Harry, but it made my loneliness more pronounced. Oh, how I missed my best friends! I didn't even know how I was supposed to reply to him seen as I had no owl. Still, with the letter freshly imprinted in my mind I got started with my homework and slipped back into my usual routine.


	10. Chapter 9: The New Age

**Chapter 9: The New Age  
**  
The next couple of weeks passed by in a blur. The lessons got increasingly more interesting, and I was talking to Angela about getting a job. I kept Edward at an arm's length still, trying to only interact with him in biology, but that didn't mean I ignored him in the corridors. After all, he had been perfectly friendly towards me. He can't help who he looks like for Merlin's sake. Overall I was happy. Yes, I missed Hogwarts - I don't think that will change any time soon - but Forks was adequate. I hadn't managed to think of a way to reply to Harry, but I figured he would understand that. I hadn't managed to decipher all of the letter, but it was gone from my mind. Dumbledore had a tendency to be secretive, and although I half-feared he would show up at school (because it ultimately was the only destination I had each day), I also didn't really expect to be seeing him.

And so it was that the 19th of September arrived. My alarm went off as per normal, Crookshanks rubbed his face against me in the way of a morning hug, and I went downstairs. Like usual, I ate breakfast then went back upstairs to get washed and dressed. It was 7am when I was done, and as I made to leave there was a knock on the door. Frowning slightly, I opened it apprehensively only to smile when I saw the postman.

"Good morning, Simon. How are you?" I greeted as I took a couple of envelopes from him, then signed for a parcel. My curiosity piqued, as I hadn't expected anything today.

"Alright, Hermione. What's in that?" he smiled, indicated the box in my arms.

"I have no idea," I grinned. He chuckled then left for his car. I waved goodbye before shutting the door. I was tempted to open the box now, but I really didn't have enough time. The package was quite big and quite heavy. Perhaps it was a book? I didn't have enough room in my bag, so I quickly placed it on top of the table in dining room whilst slipping the envelopes into my bag. I all but jogged in my eagerness to get to school to open the letters (it was raining so I couldn't do it as I walked). However as I skirted around a puddle, a memory trickled into the forefront of my mind. Rita Skeeter. The letters I got after that awful woman wrote that article. For a moment, I started panicking. What if it was something sinister? If that was the case then opening it in school really wouldn't be the best idea. It would give away my talents, for want of a better word.

It was a few more minutes than I care to admit before I was logical about the situation. Everything had arrived via muggle post, and I'd yet to meet a pureblood wizard that could actually use that. Half bloods... well it depended on upbringing, really. But, as I had not done any magic since being here it was highly unlikely anyone with bad intentions knew where I was, and so there was no need for any of the 'dark side' to use muggle post to attack me. It would be a hell of a lot easier to simply curse me. On that cheery note, I got to school and immediately went to the girls toilets. I made sure all the cubicles were empty before I locked myself in one. Putting the toilet seat down, I perched so that I could get the mail out of my bag with slightly shaking hands. Carefully, I peeled back the tab of the first one, and my eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

A birthday card fell into my hand, and from the floral design I knew immediately it was from my parents. I opened the card to read the message inside (which is too soppy to repeat), before putting it back into my bag, safe and sound in my notebook. The next envelope contained a birthday card too, this time from the Weasleys. I smiled in slight satisfaction at the fact that there was the correct number of stamps. Mr Weasley had paid attention! I was not expecting a card from the Weasley's at all, especially not from Molly and Arthur, but I guess they knew it was safer to send me well wishes from the whole family this way as opposed to owl post, which was not the safest means of communication right now. Tucked inside the envelop was a photo of me, Harry and all of the Weasleys - even Bill and Charlie! It was a photo that had been taken one summer, and I absolutely loved it the moment it fell into my hands. If it were not for the fact that the figures inside the picture were moving I would have planned to put it downstairs , but as it was it might have to live under my pillow.

Once I'd managed to pry my eyes away from the photo, slotted it back into the card and then the card into my notebook, I realised that I was feeling happy for the first time in many weeks. I had forgotten about my birthday but they had remembered it; remembered me. I couldn't wait to get back home and see what was in the package that arrived this morning, as it only made sense it would be a present in the light of the cards. As such, the rest of the day passed in quite a blur. My good mood did not falter once, and my smile seemed infectious at times. I was much friendlier to Edward than usual, although the topic of our conversations was restricted to school and the people within it. Everything was going perfectly until -

"Hermione? There's someone at the office for you. Pack up your things and go," the sports teacher instructed. Who am I to complain about missing P.E? I quickly did as I was instructed and strolled over towards the office, wondering who on earth had me pulled out of my least favourite subject. I almost forgot to open the door when I saw who it was through the glass.

"Ah, Miss Granger. There you are," Remus Lupin greeted in a rather formal voice. "My name is John Smith, and I am here to see how you are settling in at the request of your parents and previous school." He turned to talk to the receptionist, informing her that he would be taking me home. She seemed a bit hesitant at that, doubtful Remus' shabby appearance, but his British accent made her cave. We left the building, and walking out the school grounds. Once Remus felt that we were out of sight, he took hold of my arm and apparated to my house.

"It's so good to see you again, Remus!" I exclaimed excitedly, as I welcomed him into my home. He smiled but said nothing, and I noticed his expression was a little bit forced. I pulled up a seat by the dining table. He mimicked my actions, sitting diagonally opposite to me.  
"Dumbledore will be here soon. He sent me ahead to make sure you were here when he apparated." I nodded in understanding, with so many questions bubbling in my mind. The letter finally made sense. Dumbledore was going to see me at my next destination, and by that he meant age. I was now 17, which was quite significant in that it meant I no longer had the trace on me and I was free to perform magic. Of course, I didn't plan to use it much due to fear of the vampires seeing or sensing something on me. It wouldn't do to cause upset in a town where my identity was meant to be somewhat secret.

"How is everyone?" I asked, thinking of my friends but also those who had been at the Burrow over the summer. I had spent a few weeks there over the holidays, in between studying muggle subjects.

"Harry and Ron are fine, for once. As far as I am aware they have not got themselves into any mischief, although Tonks did have to help Harry off the train," Remus admitted, concern lacing his last words. Part of me really didn't want to know what Harry got into before they even arrived at Hogwarts.

Remus and I carried on our conversation for about five minutes further when all of a sudden there was a sudden noise that was akin to a whip being cracked, and none other than Albus Dumbledore appeared in front of us.  
"Happy birthday, Miss Granger,"  
"Thank you, Professor,"  
"These are for you," he pulled out a few parcels from his cloak, and passed them over to me. I carefully took them from him and put them onto the table. I recognised Harry and Ron's handwriting, but there was one parcel that seemed that was very thick and there was no writing on it. I looked at Dumbledore quizzically, and he smiled at me.

"I took the liberty of providing your school books for this year. Now that you are of age, there is no reason why you shouldn't keep up with your studies." His tone rather suggested that it was more than just to keep up with the Hogwarts' qualifications, which made the conversation a little sombre. Still, I was itching to get my nose stuck into the books. I had brought my cauldron, potions and astronomy kits with me, as the trunk my parents bought me for my third year had an extension charm on it. Well, how else was I supposed to take twice the amount of textbooks to everyone else? My parents had not bought the books for my sixth year though, as they felt it would only discourage me from settling into a muggle lifestyle. There was one thing that was bothering me though. Charms sometimes required other people to practice on - like Cheering charms. I supposed I would just have to cross that bridge when I got to it.

"Sir, how is it that you're here? I didn't think it was possible to apparate to another country?" My gaze flickered between the two men, my forehead creasing. Remus' smile seemed genuine as he shared an amused glance with Dumbledore.

"Ah, it is possible with a license much like the Muggle visa. We are here to see if we can find support with the American Ministry." His keen blue eyes twinkled at me as he went on to say, "I am sure you remember the Sorting Hat's message from last year." My mouth formed a small 'Oh' as I remembered the warning about standing united whilst the headmaster pulled out a watch and checked the time. It was then that I noticed his hand, blackened as though burnt. Before I could even ask what happened he cut me off. "I do not have the time to do the tale justice, but I am sure Harry will tell you soon enough. Now, we have much to discuss in a very short amount of time, Miss Granger.

"As you know, you are now of age. You can perform magic without the Ministry being informed about it. Whilst this will enable you to practice your sixth year studies, I must press upon you caution. This is not a Wizarding community, and the Statute of Secrecy stands just as firm here as it does in Britain. That being said, now you seventeen it is worthwhile you learning how to apparate so that if need be you can make a getaway. Remus has agreed to teach you the basics," he paused to give a nod of appreciation to my ex-professor, "but you will be required to be tested by a Ministry official. Now, Molly Weasley assures me that she would love you to visit at Christmas, so it would be possible for you to take the test then. No doubt your parents will appreciate the decrease in travel costs." He smiled warmly at me, and I felt some of my tension slip away. Dumbledore had this way of making you feel as though everything would be fine in the end.

"That being said, I do not want you making yourself a target. Death Eaters will also recruit in other countries, and whilst they are unlikely to recruit from this part of the USA they may very well be near by. If they were to get a whiff of magic from someone who should still be in school they could investigate. The whole point of you being here is safety. Arrangements will be made in the next few months for getting you back to England without detection." I nodded in understanding once more although a frown crossed my face. Did that mean muggle transport was at risk of being monitored?

"I must be going, but it was a pleasure to see you again. I am sure I will see you soon." He inclined his head to me, then to Remus, before disapparating away without another word.

There was silence for a minute whilst I digested everything that had been said to me. I wanted to ask why Remus was in America but felt as though Dumbledore would have told me if it was relevant. I didn't want to pry... not just yet anyway. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't mentioned the Cullens.  
"Does Professor Dumbledore know there's a coven of vampires in Forks?" I asked quietly, and was slightly alarmed to register the surprised look on Lupin's face.  
"It's the first I have heard of it." He looked at me with concern etched on his prematurely aged face. "I would set some wards up if I were you, Hermione, just to be on the safe side," He smiled warmly at me, in a way that made me think of my own father. He then stood up in preparation to depart. "I'll be in touch about the apparatition lessons."  
"Thank you, Sir." We shook hands, and then he too was gone and I was left alone once more.

A slight frown creased my forehead as I considered Lupin's words. Wards? For him to suggest that implies that I am potentially in danger, so of course I was going to listen to it especially in light of everything Dumbledore had said. I hoped there was a book on wards in the set that the headmaster gave me because I did not know the spells for any, and the ones I had heard of might be detectable. Whatever I cast should not be sensed by the supernatural - aka, the vampires that lived in Forks.  
Flopping back down onto the chair I had vacated when I was saying goodbye to my once DADA professor, I opened the presents from Harry and Ron. There were a few packets of sweets - chocolate frogs, liquorice wands and sugar quills - and a book about American history in the terms of wizards. There was also some baked treats from Hagrid that I knew not to eat. I smiled thinking of my best friends. It was hard without them, and of course I worried. The fact that Harry needed help from an auror so early on in term hardly eased my concern, but then at least it meant there were aurors near Hogwarts. I sighed, thinking of Sirius Black. Harry had taken his death hard, which isn't surprising considering he was the closest thing that Harry had to proper family. I knew Harry loved the Weasleys, but it just wasn't the same. I had a feeling that if Harry were to look into the Mirror of Erised right now, he would see Sirius alongside his family.

Shaking my head, I opened the book to find two envelopes inside. I opened them both and noticed with relief that thankfully they weren't censored. I picked up the one from Ron first of all.

_Hermione,  
_  
_I think Harry has lost the plot. He keeps saying that Malfoy is a Death Eater. For Merlin's sake he ended up nearly on his way back to London at the start of term because he went to spy on him! I wish you were here to help me keep him in line. You saw what he was like after that trip to Diagon Alley. Oh, that reminds me. Snape is teaching DADA. Can you believe it? Horace Slughorn is now teaching potions (which Harry and I are now taking) and Harry found this old book in the cupboard that has loads of useful notes. Almost wish that Harry had won the scuffle for the newer one now. Slughorn absolutely loves him, inviting him to the Slug Club meetings. Git._  
_Anyway, I hope everything is okay your end. I can't wait until you come back to Hogwarts - you are a witch after all, even if there is no wood to start a fire. I hope you have a great birthday and that the muggles in America are treating you okay.  
_  
_Love, Ron_

I frowned at the letter. Harry seemed to spiralling out of control if he thought Malfoy was on the road to becoming a Death Eater. It did not seem like a healthy fixation to have. I was also worried about Ron's apparent jealousy of the Slug Club. We all heard how Slughorn liked to collect the skilled to enhance his 'connections' with the wizarding world, but it seemed that Ron was experiencing what he felt in fourth year, much to my dismay. It reminded me that I must write to Ginny to get her to act as a mediator between the two of them. I also wondered if Ron was perhaps feeling lonely, referring back to First Year was hardly normal behaviour for him. With a small sigh, I picked up the note from Harry.

_Dear Hermione,  
_  
_I hope you are well, and that America is as safe as Hogwarts. Actually, scrap that. I hope that America is unsafe because then you could be back here at Hogwarts. We could really do with your help to figure out what Malfoy is up to. I overheard him on the train, and I know that he's got to do some sort of initiation to become a Death Eater. Ron is reluctant to do anything to prove it, I don't think he believes me, but that logical brain of yours would agree with me if you heard everything that I did._  
_It seems strange that you aren't with us to celebrate your birthday. I hope that you'll be able to visit us soon. Now you're 17 can't you apparate to Hogsmeade or something? It really isn't the same without someone telling us to do our homework.  
_  
_Happy birthday, Hermione, and write soon. You did get my letter, didn't you?  
_  
_Love from Harry_

A heavy sigh left my lips as I finished reading Harry's letter. Contrary to what he believed, I was much more sure that Ron was right about Malfoy. I was glad to hear that Ron was digging his heels in, and I could have hugged him for looking out for Harry. It did amuse me that Harry wanted someone to nag him to do homework - usually it seemed they hated me for it - so I suppose he couldn't be in a place that was too dark if he was able to crack jokes.

The one positive that came from the notes which mostly caused me stress was that Harry had pointed out that I could learn apparition due to my age, and I remembered my Christmas test. It would definitely be an advantage to see them. Yet if all was normal, then there should be a Hogsmeade visit on Hallowe'en and I might be able to get someone to take me to Britain. Of course, the downside to American schools was that they didn't have half term, so I would have to check to make sure Halloween fell on a weekend. If that didn't pan out, then there was always Christmas to look forward to.

* * *

**A/n: Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! I do read all of them and they certainly motivate me to keep writing! I would also like to thank each and every one of you that has followed/favourited this story, as it really does mean a lot to me. I was wondering if you guys would like to have some snap shots from Hogwarts to see how Harry and Ron are acting without Hermione? I've been toying with the idea but in this case it's down to you lot ^^**


	11. Chapter 10: The Stirring Pot

**Chapter 10: The Stirring Pot**

The rest of the evening was spent getting to grips with my laptop. It seemed quite fancy to me given that I didn't really need it, but I think that was more so that I could connect it the Internet. My parents were one step ahead in realising that it would cost a small fortune to call on a daily basis, so they had given me a computer with which I could use email in order to communicate with them. I spoke to them for hours about everything that had been going on, saying how lovely everything had been apart from that one night where I'd felt homesick (I didn't want to worry them by saying I had been thinking about Cedric). Therefore, when the next day came around I was feeling both lonely and happy. It was a strange combination, but speaking to my parents had been comforting in that I could now talk to them but at the same time reminded me of the distance between us. I had mentioned to them that I wanted to learn how to apparate so that I could see my Hogwarts friends, and they were surprisingly accommodating and promised to talk to the Ministry about getting the license/visa in place!

Feeling quite excited, I had set off for school that morning in high spirits. As I was locking the door, I noticed something out of place by the side of the house. Curious, I altered my course and found myself standing in front of a bicycle. The was a label tied on, which told me that John Smith had left the package. A laugh escaped me at that, loving the simplicity of the common name as a disguise. It was actually a pretty great gift. The bike was a sky blue that reminded me of my Yule Ball dress. If that was intentional, I had no idea, so rather than focus on that I merely took the label off and slipped in into my pocket. I stood back to eye the bike once more, trying to see if there was anything odd about it. If Mr Weasley made any modifications to it then I had every right to be wary. I really hate flying. Not being able to see anything wrong with it, and hoping that riding a bike was a lot like learning to swim in that you never forgot, I pulled the helmet that had been clipped over the handlebars on. I adjusted the straps so that they made the helmet more snug, checked that the lock in the basket on the front would work, and then I mounted the bike and began to cycle to school.

It was just as terrifying riding the bike as being a pedestrian. The roads were slippery, as per usual, given the amount of moisture that was on the road from the rain that seemed almost constant as autumn went on. However the amount of time it took to get to school was reduced greatly, so I cannot possibly justify complaining about it. I found the bike shed with ease given the size of the school and locked it into place. I was careful to make sure the plastic wrapped around the helmet straps too as I wanted to have both at the end of the day. I doubted anyone would steal it, but after the whole canteen thing I had received some dirty looks that made feel like I was in Slytherin company. I admired my bike for a few seconds longer, and then found a bench to sit on. It was under a shelter but that did not stop the rain from splashing my face now and then. No hint of a complaint left me though, because I kind of liked the rain. It meant that not many other people lingered outside. In turn, this meant I had lots of peace and quiet.

In the middle of scribbling down a to-do list for when I got home, I became aware of a presence when it caused the bench to shift slightly. Arching an eyebrow, I looked to my left. "Edward," I greeted politely. He smiled at me before a comfortable silence descended over us. I finished of list, which included a reminded to message my parents and to say thank you to Remus, and then put the notepad away.

"I haven't seen you leave homework to last minute before.," It was a statement, as opposed to a question. It took me a few seconds to come up with a response.

"I haven't! I was writing down some things to do later," I indignantly said, not that it was really any of business. Nevertheless, I felt defensive about it. I actually did my homework in the evenings when I was all alone in my house with only a cat to talk to.

He seemed thoughtful for a moment, before his mouth opened and the real reason for this conversation came to light. "I heard you got pulled out of P.E.". Trust him to know about that already. I frowned at him.

"So?" I said snappishly, a bit of panic rising in my chest. I could not let anyone know about Moony - especially a vampire. My glare softened only a tiny bit as he raised his hands in surrender. Before he could say anything else, I stood up and stalked off towards my first lesson.

Once inside the classroom, I felt calmer. Okay, so I hadn't necessarily needed to snap at Edward but it was just easier than dealing with his questions-that-were-more-statements. I scowled at the desk for a moment as though it was the cause of my problems, before I made the effort to be sociable and join Angela and Eric. Apparently there was a get together to go and see a film in Seattle. I was pleasantly surprised when Eric turned to me. "What do you say, Hermione? Want to come?". I didn't think before I accepted his invitation. By lunch time, we were busy sorting out who would go in whose car, or at the very least who would bring a car. Jessica looked scandalised when I mentioned I couldn't drive, and that had me and Angela laughing once more, all of us in high spirits.

And thus it was that the weekend came and we were car pooling to Seattle. Even ending up in Mike's car wasn't that bad because I made sure that Jessica was in the front seat so she could talk to him. I was quite happy taking in all the views, and the conversation was light and amicable. The film that we were going to see was called Shaun of the Dead, and apparently it was a comedy. I took their word for it; I hadn't been to a cinema in several years and I didn't keep up with muggle celebrities. I had as much idea who Simon Pegg was as Ron did about my parents' jobs.

When we were walking towards the cinema after parking the car a pub on the other side of my road caught my eye. It was set in between a bookshop and what appeared to be a bric-a-brac type shop. The pub had a sign out the front that hung out over the street, and announced that it was called The Stirring Pot, and the image depicted a cauldron. My heart caught in my throat. No one seemed to pay the place any attention, and it had me wondering if it was like the Leaky Cauldron. Deciding to test my theory, I turned to Angela. "What's on the right hand side of that bookshop?" I asked curiously, watching her face as she looked up.

"Oh, it's this neat little place that's like a professional yard sale. You can find anything from balls of yarn to cooking equipment," she explained with a look of fondness. My eyes turned back to the café that she had missed. I simply could not resist going to check it out, but the question now was how to slip away from the group.

I waited until we got to the cinema, making sure that I was paying attention to how we got there. We paid for the tickets - we had an early afternoon screening - and then went to find our seats in preparation for the showing. The film was pretty good, if unrealistic. But then wasn't that the point? Regardless of the limitations, I enjoyed the whole experience of going to the cinema. That being said, when the first zombie appeared I couldn't stop a little gasp of breath escaping me as my mind's eye saw the Ministry pamphlet about Inferi. Jessica was the only one who heard me, and she just sent me a patronising glance. If only she knew! Once the film was over, the girls and I went to the toilets. Jessica was re-doing her make up, whilst I went into a cubicle. Angela kept the hand drier going for me once I lied and said I was really self conscious. The fact of the matter is that I didn't need the toilet at all - I just needed the privacy to fake a phone call. My parents had given me a cheap and cheerful mobile in case of emergencies. Unsurprisingly therefore I felt a little guilty for what I was using it for. I bit my lip as I got my phone to play a ring tune, and then faked an entire conversation. "Hello? ... Charlie, how are you?! It's been so long... Yes, yes I'm here now... Really?... Sounds great! I'll ask the others... See you then... Bye!"

I unlocked the cubicle door, acting as though I had just got off the phone and was in the process of locking it and putting it in my pocket. Jessica eyed me with the interest of someone about to get some juicy gossip. "Who's Charlie?" she demanded.

"He's practically family," I brushed off easily, because he was. He was my best friend's brother, after all. "Listen, he's in Seattle and I'm going to go meet him. Will you tell the others where I've gone? I'll make my own way home." My tone was hopeful, and Angela promised to pass on the message. I all but ran out of the cinema, and looked around for somewhere to hide. The others would be right behind me otherwise, and I didn't want them to recognise me walking by myself having just said I was meeting up with someone. It wasn't as though it was dark enough to just try and blend in. It was the middle of the day! Luckily I remembered that we had passed an alley on the way here, so I went and hid down there. I crouched behind a bin, trying not to inhale the scent of rotting food and decaying rubbish. Not two minutes later my group of friends walked pass, completely oblivious to me. I let out a sigh of relief, and moved to the mouth of the alley. I leaned against the wall for a minute or so more, just to make sure they had a good head start, before I made my way slowly back towards The Stirring Pot. There were a couple of times when I had to duck into shops when I saw someone from my party look back, but for the most part they got lost in the crowd.

Eventually I made it to the café, and I let out a breath of relief. This was most definitely a magical residence. The things that were on the menu, as well as some of the conversations, not to mention a hag in the corner... A small thrill went through me as I realised that this magical community was so close to me. I noticed someone walk towards the back door and so I went to investigate. A small squeal almost escaped me when I realised that it was almost an identical layout to The Leaky Cauldron. There was a bin in front of a brick wall, and the person in front of me was walking through an archway that was already starting to conceal itself. Without hesitating I darted through it before it completely closed, and stared at the street that had been revealed before my very eyes.

Bold and varied shops lined both sides of the street thoroughly and colourfully, buildings that were a little crooked at times and definitely needed magic to support them. The ground was cobbled, matching the thatch rooftops on the shops around me, and to be honest I had the same sensation run through me as when I went to Diagon Alley for the first time. I made my way over to the right, and noticed a sign that announced that I was in Dower Alley. The atmosphere here was entirely different to the current Diagon Alley. There were no faces of death eaters covering every window, and people were stopping to talk to each other. It was hard to imagine that there was a war going on just across the ocean. The trade stands that were littered here didn't contain 'protection' charms and amulets, but handmade goods like jewellery and sweet treats. I started walking slowly down the street, feeling a little out of place in this busy street.

There were book shops and joke shops, apothecaries and cafés, a wand makers and pet store and so many others that I couldn't even start to define without stepping into them. It was larger than Diagon Alley, with more branches off the main street, but on closer inspection I realised that there were wizarding homes here. This wasn't just a shopping centre for wizards, it was also their community! That explained why it was so busy during term time - families lived right here. I pottered along so slowly that people kept jostling into me, but I didn't care in the slightly. I just kept on gazing around in awe, waiting for an alarm clock to wake me up at any moment.

As I rounded a corner, a beautiful white stone building loomed up in front of me. Gringotts! I didn't have my key with me (and I doubt it would apply here anyway - my vault was in a different country after all), but I did have some muggle money with me, and there were so many stores here that I was tempted to buy a new book, a yearning to crack open something that would teach me to apparate or set up vampire wards around my home. I had only walked a few metres closer to the bank when I suddenly stopped, my eagerness evaporating. This wasn't why my parents sent me here. They wanted me to act like a muggle. I'd already broken the rules by having my schoolbooks at home with which to keep up with my studies, so there was no actual need for me to be here... A frown of bitter disappointment furrowed my forehead as I turned halfheartedly to make my way out of Dower Alley, and returned to my ordinary, temporary, muggle abode.

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**A/N: I'm so sorry it took so long to update. School has been absolutely hectic, and I just haven't had the time or muse to write more of this fanfic for a few months. Thank you all for bearing with me. I really do appreciate all the wonderful support!**


	12. Chapter 11: Confessions

**Chapter 11: Confessions**

As I exited the Stirring Pot, I realised my biggest mistake in coming to Dower Alley. I had left the only people who could take me home, leaving myself stranded in Seattle... a city I didn't know at all. I glanced desperately at my watch and realised I had spent almost an entire hour away from them. There were no plans to stop for lunch so they would be well on their way to Forks by now. I definitely didn't have enough money on me to afford a taxi fare, and I couldn't exactly call Angela or Jessica because I had faked a phone call right in front of them about meeting Charlie Weasley and claiming that he would ensure I got home, a difficult feat considering he's in Romania!

I felt my anxiety levels rise as I looked around me, wondering what on earth I should do. Should I try and use floo powder? No, my house wasn't linked to a network and there would be the small matter of getting to the American Ministry and sorting out a permit in the space of about an hour and a half without an appointment or documentation in the hope that the issue would be dealt with by the end of the working day. That, of course, was another issue. It was half past three already, and the nights didn't stay away for long in cloudy Washington. It was starting to get dark now, there was no way I'd be able to walk home. I couldn't think of a quiet place to try and flag down something like the Knight Bus (why is America so populated?!) and I was yet to have even one apparition lesson with Lupin.

Inhaling deeply, I tried not to panic. There had to be someone I could call, someone who was connected to the trip that could rescue me... With a grimace I realised my entire friendship group had come on this cinema trip, and I also didn't have a mobile phone. Knowing that I couldn't stand in the doorway forever, I began to walk down the street. It would possibly be worth getting some provisions in case worse did come to worse and I had to hike back to Forks. My stomach curdled at the thought. Gritting my teeth, I kept my beaded bag close to my body, knowing that it essentially was my lifeline. It had my phone, keys and money inside of it. My wand was in my -

"Oh no!" I gasped, my hand covering my mouth. My wand was in my bed, where I left it after deciding that I couldn't bring it with me in case I lost in or it was noticed. I could feel myself starting to panic so I looked around quickly and all but ran into the bookshop I spotted across the street. I made my way towards the back of the store where there were fewer people, and sat down on the floor in an attempt to calm myself down. I could practically hear what Mad-Eye Moody would be saying if he knew what I'd done, could see the expression of concern on Harry and Ron's faces. This day was turning into a complete and utter disaster.

I knew I was being overly dramatic, but at Hogwarts it was different; Harry and Ron had always been there. This time I was by myself and I had no magic. Besides, I told myself, it would be better if it were dark when I left because then there would be less traffic on the roads so maybe I should stay sat on the shop floor. Yet all that achieved was making me so anxious I could barely breathe. The scary thing was my reaction to the situation. I'd never felt so panicked in the face of a trial before, and there certainly were more logical solutions. However every time I made a move to leave, my legs felt weak and my stomach churned uncomfortably.

I let myself have another five minutes of panicking, and then I stood up grimacing, knowing that I had wasted enough time and that I really should start to do something about getting home. I gazed at the window splattered with raindrops, cast one last furtive glance around the store, and then did a double take. Someone with bronze coloured hair and porcelain skin was walking down the street.

"Edward! Hey!" I started after him hurriedly, not even thinking about what I was going to say to him nor particularly caring that I started yelling whilst still inside the shop. Unfortunately, the vampire with the brilliant hearing was not focusing on his surroundings and he didn't so much as turn around. It didn't help that some people were starting to kick out of school and lunch-shift work, and the crowds were bustling around me. I didn't have the stride length to keep up with a vampire that was strolling purposefully.

"EDWARD!" My frantic yell finally caught his attention and he turned around, surprise written all over his face. He stopped, waiting for me to catch up.

"Hermione, what are you doing here? Are you okay?" His tone was laced with concern, and I realised belatedly that my face was probably blotchy from where I had buried it in my hands several times.

"It's a long story..." I muttered, glancing down the street as though someone would tell me this was all just a dream. "Are you going back to Forks tonight?"

"Would you like a lift?" He seemed torn between being amused that I was asking for a lift and being serious about the situation.

"Please," I begged softly, meeting his gaze evenly. He himself looked around and then slowly nodded. A crooked smile played across his lips as he gently turned my around and then led the way towards a multi-story car park.

I didn't say a word as I followed him, lost in my own little world of worry. Edward let me be silent, but I knew it wouldn't last. He had a persistent, curious nature that would not allow me to not tell him why I had accosted him in the street and asked for a lift to Forks. I chewed my lip uncertainly. Well, I definitely couldn't tell him about Dower Alley. It was possible he knew about it, but if he didn't then it could lead to all sorts of awkwardness. I was unsure how vampires were treated in America - I made a mental note to research it later - so I didn't want to introduce him to a community if he was going to be shunned and persecuted by it.

"This is us," Edward's voice broke through my reeling thoughts and brought me back to reality. He was holding the passenger side door open to me. I couldn't help but smile slightly. "How gentlemanly," I teased him lightly as I slid into the car and put my seatbelt on. I heard him chuckle slightly as he moved around the driver's side a little bit faster than should be normal. I gazed out the window as he started the car and smoothly drove into the street to join the flow of traffic.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?" He frowned at me, and I squeaked at him to watch where he was going as we went through a light that was turning red. He turned his head to face forwards for a fraction of a second before looking back at me. I took the time to choose my words carefully.

"I went to the cinema with Angela and that lot, but after the film I saw some people I knew. I went to hang out with them before I even thought about how I would get home, and none of them would be able to get me to Forks either." It was a lie, but I felt it was an acceptable one. Technically I did see some people I knew, I just didn't clarify it was more people I knew of. Then it hit me why my pulse was racing as though I was being dishonest. If Edward was, as I suspected, able to practice his form of legilimency then he would soon know that I had arranged a meeting with someone called Charlie, which would alter the story entirely. He would also learn that I didn't just happen to see some acquaintances.

"Why did you not call Angela to pick you up?" He asked, looking confused and suspicious.

"Well, she would have already left with everyone else. It wouldn't be fair to have to ask her to come back to Seattle." Lie. Lie. Lie.

"What film did you see?"

"Shaun of the Dead," I answered slightly more enthusiastically than the question demanded. I got a tad overexcited that I could reply truthfully, and saw Edward quirk an eyebrow at my louder-than-average, confident statement, and internally reprimanded myself.

There was silence for a few minutes after that. Edward drove a little bit too fast for my liking, so I tried to stare at the dashboard more than out the window. I didn't want to see the scenery flashing by as rapidly as I feared it was. My vampire chauffeur then asked the question that had been haunting me most of the afternoon.

"How would you have got home if you hadn't seen me?"

"I honestly have no idea."

We didn't speak for quite a while after that. He seemed to realise how uncomfortable his driving was making me and slowed down reluctantly. It wasn't an awkward silence as such, but it wasn't entirely comfortable either. This was a long car journey for two people who have never really spoken to each other. In fact, I was probably one of the first people whose minds Edward couldn't read, thus resulting in him not being particularly certain what topic of conversation to strike up. The buzzing around my brain became increasingly more persistent the longer we went without talking, meaning that I had to try to keep my mind blank in attempt to keep my occlumency shield strong. Half an hour of this pushed me to the end of my tether all the same, and I struck around for a subject to discuss.

"Why were you in Seattle, anyway?" Edward glanced at me briefly.

"I just wanted to get out the house. You saw how Rosalie was the other day." His answer was more honest than I could have anticipated. "Oh" was all I could manage to get out in response to his unexpected reply. "Do you have brothers or sisters?"

"I'm an only child..." That would have been a conversation killer for most people, but Edward seemed to want to break the silence just as much as I did.

"That must be nice, the peace and quiet." He smiled slightly, but there was a strain in it that made me think there was more going on that he cared to admit. I frowned slightly before tentatively asking, "is everything okay at home, Edward?" He sighed softly, his eyes darting over to my attentive expression before returning to the road. He didn't reply for quite a while, but I didn't dare break the silence.

"There's just a lot of arguing at the moment. It's driving me insane," he muttered irritably. My face softened as I stared sympathetically at him. The amount of bickering I had done with Ron over the years would be enough to break many friendships. It was the strength of our bond that kept us together, that and Harry. We might argue a lot but somehow it was never damaging. Sure we might not speak to each other for a while, but we could nearly always rely upon each other for support.

"It sounds as though you need to have a family night where you put aside your differences and focus on the more important things of life," I said gently. I didn't look at Edward as I spoke. Part of it was because I wanted his reaction to be somewhat private if it was personal, or miss it if his expression was scathing, but also because it was partially private and personal for me. It stood as a reminder that Harry, Ron and I could always spend a lazy afternoon in Gryffindor Tower playing chess or doing homework feeling so comfortable in each others' presences that whatever our opinions were on the burdens we were bearing, we could put them aside and just reset our batteries.

Not long after that we pulled up outside my house. I tried to give Edward some money for petrol but he point blank refused, claiming that my house was en route to his and that after my words of wisdom he felt better prepared to deal with his family. And so it was that I found myself standing alone on the porch as rain fell steadily, watching Edward disappear to return to his family while I had little contact with mine.

October arrived with a bang as a storm rolled in, and still my mind kept wandering back to Dower Alley. It had been a just over a week since my discovery of the wizarding community, and a growing knot of guilt and longing had been forming in my stomach every time I thought about it. On the one hand I knew my parents would be happy that I walked away, but on the other I knew that I was not. I had already finished reading the books Dumbledore had given me, but the bundle of worry inside me prevented me from actually practising the magic I was learning about. Plus, my mind was still occupied by the notion the local vampires would notice the spells I cast. Magical beings felt a pull towards magic, and in a perfectly ordinary town like Forks it would be hard for the supernatural creatures to miss the slight interference in the atmosphere. What I really needed was a week of sunshine to drive them off, but this town being what it was, that was not likely to happen.

With a sigh, I curled up in my favourite arm chair in the living room, skim reading Pride and Prejudice. I had read it before and I did think it was quite good, but I did not appreciate the homework set; to finish the book. We had managed to get around the half way mark in class, being asked to read aloud. This in itself was irksome for the simple reason that some of the people asked to read weren't confident, and by the time they had made it to the end of a line I had already managed to get ahead. I somehow ended up reading a great deal more than anyone else - I suspect it was something to do with my accent - but I didn't really mind this too much. I was familiar with the text. But to be told to read the rest of it was a tedious homework because I could be sure that at least a handful of people would not read the book, meaning that there would be an extension and no point in the classwork if half the students in the room had no idea what was happening. There was also the fact that I couldn't concentrate on the book very well.

With an irritable tut I slammed the book shut and all but threw it onto the nearby coffee table. I stood up slowly, reaching my arms up in a satisfying stretch that had spine and shoulders cracking. My eyes traced back to the window, a path they had carved from the frequent action. Nothing had changed. The rain was still splattering against the window, the sky was a livid grey, and the road was quiet. I wanted to go out but I hated riding my bike in such heavy rain. If I were to be involved in an accident there was no one I could call (and that's assuming I was even conscious). I had seen how some of the students drove and it filled me with terror. Just because the roads were likely to be clear did not mean they could accelerate down them at least 20 miles per hour over the speed limit!

Thinking of cars, I remembered my trip with Edward. I didn't feel as though I had properly thanked him. I had given him a card and some money in way of petrol, which he tried to give back to me but I threatened to curse him into next week. He laughed at that, but I was deadly serious. Our friendship was a little stronger than it was, but nothing had changed. Rosalie was so terrified of the cat being let out of the bag that she would sooner chop Edward up and chuck him on a fire than let him hang out with a human. A snort escaped me as I imagined what Ginny would say to that. I still hadn't worked out how to tell the Cullens that their number was up. It wasn't something you could just slip into conversation. Oh, hi Edward! You may think you're keeping your secret hidden, but I know you're a vampire. Well, see you around. "Yeah, like that'll happen."

Making my way to the kitchen, I set about cooking some dinner. Tomorrow was a school day and I would just have to wait and see what that would hold for me. Maybe everything really will be out in the air after all. Crookshanks interrupted my terrible rendition of Trelawney by mewing impatiently for his food. Well, even she could have seen that one coming.

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**A/N: A little longer than the previous chapter, so I hope you like it! Don't fret, Hermione will be using her magic again very soon. I've started to plan out the rest of the story, so if there's something you would like me to include please feel free to leave a review or message me with your idea. If I can fit it in, I definitely will. **

**Thank you for your support!**


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